Bringing light to the dark world of cancer

Mike Couick

Fighting cancer with T cells

Emily “Emma” Whitehead was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5. After her second relapse, the doctors told her family they were out of options to treat her cancer. Looking for a miracle, her parents sought an experimental treatment that had never been tried in a child or in anyone with her type of leukemia. This video explains how the treatment—using Emily’s genetically reprogrammed T cells—successfully killed the cancer cells in her body. Today, Emily is still cancer-free and shares her journey at emilywhitehead.com.

Tens and sometimes up to 100 times a day, my wife and I provided the patient ID number of our 2-year-old son, Campbell, to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital staff in Memphis as he progressed from assessment to assessment, treatment to treatment, and surgery to surgery.

For two years (1997–1999), that number was one of the few constants in our family’s life. Out the door went the predictability of my career’s usual workweek, seeing friends in our hometown and taking our daughter to school in Columbia. One day, our life was predictable, and then, all with a diagnosis of biphenotypic childhood leukemia, our entire extended-family’s life changed.

With the resources, support and love of our family and the incredible St. Jude network, we came out of the experience able to recount blessings and miracles. On most days, we are even able to accept and embrace our son’s death at age 4 as an unexpected answer to prayer. Not all families struck by leukemia are so fortunate.

Hearing the words “You have cancer” is one of the darkest moments in life, and according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer every three minutes. In South Carolina alone, more than 700 people were diagnosed with some form of leukemia and nearly 1,000 were diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012.

Paul Jeter, executive director of the S.C. chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, explains that his organization’s role is to “bring light to the dark world of cancer.” The society raises funds for research and supports the families affected by blood cancers with patient services and a copay assistance program. Whether a family needs to talk with someone who has experienced a similar diagnosis or needs help meeting the financial demands of cancer treatment, the society provides very real and practical assistance. In addition, the LLS has established online communities to help capture insights of patients and address the real-world challenges of living with blood cancer.

More important, the society is working to find a cure.

One of the most exciting research developments saved the life of a little girl named Emily “Emma” Whitehead, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5. After her second relapse, the doctors told her family they were out of options to treat her cancer. Looking for a miracle, her parents sought an experimental treatment that had never been tried in a child or in anyone with her type of leukemia.

The experiment used Emily’s genetically reprogrammed T cells to find and kill her cancer cells. When the modified T cells were put back into her body, Emily became very sick and spent several weeks on a ventilator. At one point, her doctor said she had a one-in-1,000 chance of surviving the night.

Emily beat the odds, and a few weeks later, her family received the miracle they had prayed for. The T-cell therapy worked, and today, Emily is living cancer-free.

This promising research is still in its early stages, and many questions remain about why the treatment works. But these breakthroughs provide hope for those affected by cancer. And, for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to be able to respond to the words “You have cancer” with “We’re finding a cure” is enormously powerful.

On a local level, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society brings communities together with its annual Light the Night Walk to raise funds, celebrate those who are fighting and honor those who have lost. On Nov. 2, people from across the state will gather at the S.C. Statehouse in Columbia to walk with illuminated lanterns and bring light to the darkness of cancer. In the past, this event has raised $800,000 in South Carolina alone and $80 million nationally. To learn more about this inspiring event and how you can get involved, visit lightthenight.org.

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For more on this experimental T-cell therapy, see these articles from the New York Times: